As the feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury falls in May, I thought it might be helpful to outline how our own Episcopal Church descends from its parent Church of England. In AD 597 Augustine landed in England in Kent on a mission from Pope Gregory the Great. His mission was successful. The King of Kent was converted and gave Augustine permission to set up his base at Canterbury, which became the center of the Roman mission in England. Augustine became the first Archbishop of Canterbury.

There were already Christians in Britain, in the Celtic realms of Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, but the Roman mission established itself among the Anglo-Saxons who eventually in time became the English. Thus the Church in England was born, but it did not become the Church of England for some centuries. Throughout the Middle Ages the English Church was a part of the greater western Church centered on Rome. The Archbishops of Canterbury were sometimes cardinals, and one Englishman in the 1100s became pope. However England’s relations with Rome were often uneasy, and medieval English kings restricted appeals to Rome. Yet England abounded in catholic cathedrals, monasteries, and shrines.

In the 1530s when Henry VIII failed to get a divorce from Rome he took over the earthly headship of the English Church, which became the Church of England. In theology and liturgy much remained unchanged, except that English replaced Latin as the language of services and prayers. After a period of turmoil the Church of England emerged as a middle path between Roman Catholicism and continental Protestantism. Its unity rested on the Book of Common Prayer and the use of the King James Bible. As England’s colonies around the world increased the Prayer Book and the Bible became part of Anglican communities there.

In the late 1700s the American colonies broke away in the War of Independence to become the Unites States. The Anglicans in the United States reconstituted themselves as the Protestant Episcopal Church. Later under the influence of the catholic revival throughout the worldwide Anglican Communion the term ‘Protestant’ was dropped and the Anglican Church in the United States became the Episcopal Church. Like other national churches in the Anglican Communion it recognizes the spiritual leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury (the successor of St. Augustine) but like all such national churches it is independent, with its own elected bishops and an elected Presiding Bishop.

Still, Canterbury where the bishops of the entire worldwide Anglican Communion meet every ten years holds a special place in our understanding of our Church, and work of St. Augustine lives on.

Our next Ingathering Sunday May 10^th This is the day to bring your little blue boxes full of coins that represent your daily blessings.

Income $9,118.17
Expense $14,413.23
Difference ($5,295.06)

Has anyone noticed the new names on the Reader’s List? That’s a good thing, a very good thing – Welcome!

ORANGE CAKE
Father Michael Gray-Fow

2 c. flour 2 eggs
2 c. white sugar 6 T. butter
1 tsp. Salt 6 T. milk
2 tsp. Baking soda 1 ½ c. brown sugar
2 sm. cans Mandarin oranges
Whipping Cream

Sift together flour, white sugar, salt and baking soda. Beat eggs and add to mixture, along with oranges (drained). Grease and flour pan. After mixing all ingredients listed so far pour into pan. Bake at 350 Degrees for 25 minutes or until done. While baking: in a saucepan mix butter, milk, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer. Remove cake and place on a rack. Divide cake. Pour sauce on tops of cakes. Let cool and reassemble. Cover cake with whipping cream (flavor added).

First, you come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses.

1. Peace of mind
2. Peace of heart
3. Peace of soul

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:
1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness

1. Lettuce be faithful
2. Lettuce be kind
3. Lettuce be patient
4. Lettuce really love one another

1. Turnip for meetings
2. Turnip for service
3. Turnip to help one another

TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME:

1. Thyme for each other
2. Thyme for family
3. Thyme for friends
4. Thyme for prayer

WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE. THERE IS MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW

The Open Door Free Clinic located at Unity Lutheran Church, 1025 E. Oklahoma Avenue, will be open every Wednesday in the months of May, June, and July.

Numbers are given out at 5 PM and sign-in begins at 5:30 PM. The medical staff will see patient’s from 6 to 8:30 PM.

A new musical comedy,
featuring M*A*S*H Star William Christopher
Coming to Hartford, WI
September 10-13, 2009
Schauer Arts & Activities Center
147 N. Rural Street
Hartford, WI 53027

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Level 1 Training Course will be offered at St. Bartholomew’s, Pewaukee June 15-19 and October 16-17 in 2009. Part 2 will be held in March and June of 2010. Inspired by Montessori metholody, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is an approach to the religious formation of children ages 3-12 based on the conviction that God and child are in relationship. The Level 1 course is the foundation for all three levels of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

All members of the diocese are invited to attend one of the pre-General Convention hearings – to learn about the business GC will deal with, to provide input, and to meet members of the diocese’s delegation. The hearing schedule is listed below.

May 12 (Tuesday) 7:30 pm at St. Luke’s, Madison
May 16 (Saturday) 10:30 am at St. Mary’s, Dousman
May 19 (Tuesday) 7:30 pm at Trinity, Wauwatosa

Because of last fall’s 4 successive hurricanes, we've been working overtime on 2009's Haitian coffee shipment - it's been challenging! We anticipate having coffee available in May.

Coffee Clubbers:
We’ll deliver your April and June Coffee in May.

Beginning in May:
We're no longer accepting NEW members into the coffee club and will be discontinuing the coffee club after meeting our current obligations. Some parishes who can't get enough of the delicious Haitian coffee will begin selling it on-site year-round. Whereas, other parishes will sell coffee at special occasions [for example, a planned bazaar or fundraiser]. Your Haiti Project Coordinator will determine your parish needs and communicate them to the Haiti Project's Ellen Donaghy, Grandma Coffee : Gcoffee48602@yahoo.com. Also, we're hoping to streamline the amount of checks we need to process in the future; last fall, Diane at the Diocese and Chris our treasurer processed hundreds of checks. We're hoping to share this burden!

To Place a New Coffee Order:
Ellen Donaghy, Grandma Coffee, will be contacting your parish shortly to determine your needs. If you already have an order ready to go or have questions, please contact her: Gcoffee48602@yahoo.com